


Alone, Together

by A_Likely_Story



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:08:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25219042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Likely_Story/pseuds/A_Likely_Story
Summary: The chateau is old and beautiful, "like all of us," Joe quips, earning him a punch from Andy and a fond smile from Nicky. Nile stands in the centre of the kitchen, watching the light dance through the window.
Comments: 20
Kudos: 227





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is more than one chapter, but somehow it isn't showing up as multiples. Came across this film on Netflix and fell in love with it completely!

Between jobs, they rest at a charming chateau in the South of France. It is Andy's idea; she wants Nile to feel like she belongs. Joe and Nicky go along with the idea willingly, they are happy as long as they are together and nothing is actively trying to kill them.  
The chateau is old and beautiful, "like all of us," Joe quips, earning him a punch from Andy and a fond smile from Nicky. Nile stands in the centre of the kitchen, watching the light dance through the window.  
"Go choose your room, " Andy coaxes her, and Nile nods once and leaves the room. Andy watches her go, a warm spread of something maternal flooding her veins. She never got to be a mother, and Nile doesn't really need mothering, but still the unfamiliar feeling lingers, staining Andy's heart. 

She looks up and finds Nicky's gaze on her. He quirks a smile at her and she returns it, as it is often impossible not to smile at Nicky. She rummages in her bag and presses a small parcel to him.  
"Ingredients, " She informs him. "For baklava."  
Nicky snorts in amusement, and Joe joins in. Their laughter trials off as they are all reminded of the last time Nicky made baklava for Andy, a time when Booker was true and family. Joe's expression clouds. He is still the angriest out of all them. Joe will take his loyalty to the grave with him, and he can not understand treachery.  
They have only had one job since Booker and Mellor and everything changing once again. Copley organised their mission, and then erased their involvement completely, as agreed. They had done some good that day, and only Nile had been shot.  
Andy wishes it could always be so simple.  
...  
By the time dusk falls, Nicky and Joe are fast asleep on the sofa.  
"That is not just a sofa, " Nile comments, eyeing the exquisitely upholstered fabric and lavish designs.  
"I suppose not, " Andy agrees, watching the boys sleep. Even in slumber, Joe takes on the protective stance, his arms cradling Nicky's. Nicky has always been an uneasy sleeper, prone to crying out and flailing, running from some past, ill remembered enemy, but in Joe's arms he is peaceful, his sleep deep and restorative.  
Nile watches them as well. "My mom wrote a long... Essay I guess you would say. About me. It's online. Been shared hundreds of times."  
Andy looks at Nile carefully. Nile is brave and bold, and stands up for what she believes in, but she is so young and so new to this that she must be hurting.  
"I didn't realise, I mean I did to an extent-" Nile stops and starts, trying to reign in her emotions. "She was so proud of me. Is, I guess." Nile shakes her head with the weight of someone who is dead to the living and living to the dead.  
Andy, whose own mother has been long lost to time, places a tentative hand over Nile's. She is unsure of what to say. Nicky is the one with the words; gentle, kind, soft. Joe could make Nile laugh with some off the cuff comment.  
“There is a beautiful hike,” Andy says, because she is someone who talks in action. “We should all go on it tomorrow.”  
Nile stands up, and looks from Joe and Nicky to Andy. “Yeah,” She says, “yeah, I'd like that.”

....


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I just love them all

Andy jerks awake, as is the norm for her these days. She takes a quick check to make sure everyone is safe and accounted for. Nicky and Joe have clearly just woken up as well, judging from Joe's extravagant yawn and Nicky's crinkled face. Nile is in the kitchen cooking eggs, hiking gear already on. She plates up the food and sets it in front of them.   
Joe immediately grabs Nicky's plate, and shovels the food onto his. Nile watches him non plussed. Andy waves a hand. “Nicky has a delicate stomach in the morning. Doesn't do breakfast.” she says, by way of explanation. Nicky sends Nile and apologetic look, and Nile gives him a glass of water instead.   
“So we are going hiking?” Joe asks, clocking Nile's outfit, which is bright orange and pink. Not exactly inconspicuous, but everyone who knows they still exist are either dead, mourning or reformed, and the hike route is pretty remote so it's unlikely they will be recognised.   
“Yes,” Andy says, and does not miss the glance Joe and Nicky indulge in.   
“You can stay here, if you have other things to attend to, of course,” Andy keeps a straight face.   
Joe grins, and strokes Nicky's cheek. “Nah, we're good boss. Need to stretch our legs.”  
Andy stabs at an egg, and for a few minutes the kitchen is silent, save for the sound of chewing, and the occasional gulp of water courtesy of Nicky.   
Nile clears her throat. “I've packed rucksacks for us all. There's food in them. Water. Provisions. Hats. Suncream.” The other three look at her.   
“You know we are immortal, right?” Joe laughs, and Nile laughs as well, but then says, quite seriously “Yes, but sunstroke is no joke.”  
“A rhyme,” Nicky observes, sounding pleased, and Nile raises her eyes to the heavens.   
“You'll need to eat something before you go, which is in 30 minutes. We don't want it to be too hot as were climbing up.”  
Andy is both highly impressed and slightly horrified. Nile is even more organised and authorative than her. She glances at Joe and Nicky, wondering how they will react to being ordered to march up a mountain.   
Nicky shakes his head. “ I can not eat something before I go. Not without vomiting.”  
Nile opens her mouth as if the argue, but then closes it. “But you do still want to go?” she is suddenly unsure if she has overstepped.   
Nicky flashes that brilliant grin of his “of course, “ he says. “but only if you can lend me one of those snazzy shorts. I think they would look good on me. Eh, Joe? “  
But Joe cannot respond, he is too busy convulsing with laughter. 

. ...   
They set off right on schedule. In the end, Nicky opted not to wear bright colours, and is instead in a pair of green shorts and a white t shirt. Joe has plucked out a straw hat and placed it on his head. Andy is wearing her customary all black, alongside her largest, sun blocking glasses and Joe is looking dapper in a black vest and beige shorts.   
They heave the backpacks Nile has curated onto their shoulders. Joe pretends to fall backwards under the weight of it, and everyone rolls their eyes.   
They hike in companionable silence. Andy leads the way: it is her hike, her route. Nile follows in her footsteps, bright and alert. Joe and Nicky lag behind somewhat. They do not talk or walk particularly close to one another. Joe is waiting for Nicky to want some food, and Nicky is waiting to wake up properly. He is not a grumpy morning person, just a drowsy one, and the two have worked out over the years a careful dance that means Nicky eats at the right moment. It can be a pain, Joe thinks, who is happy to scarf down food at any opportunity, but it is also and integral quirk of Nicky, so he loves him for it. 

It takes them about two hours to reach the top of the mountain. They find shade underneath a conveniently planted tree and sit down at its roots.   
They decide to spend the night on the mountain. They have more than enough food and water thanks to Nile, and hazy heat of the day has more or less turned them all into sloths, loath to move from their spot.   
Andy decides to teach Nile some more fighting stances. Nile is a quick learner, her time as a marine giving her a strong basis for picking up new tricks. Nicky and Joe watch, and cajole and give pointers. Nile, exhausted lies down on her rucksack, but the sparring has given Andy a new energy that needs released.   
“Come on, “ she invites Joe and Nicky, “spar with me. “  
“Andy, Andy, Andy,” Joe clicks his tongue. “I do not have a death wish today.” He turns to Nicky and places a hand on his shoulder. “And neither does Nicky,” he says firmly.   
Nicky has other ideas. The energy bar he had halfway up the mountain was very effective. It is good to test himself occasionally. Andy is a good teacher. He offers himself up for a fight.   
Joe mutters under his breath, and slouches to a sitting position beside Nile.   
Andy and Nile shake hands before going to battle.   
Andy is the better fighter, it is clear from the offset, but Nicky has lots of sneaky moves that he pulls so that every time you think Andy has him in a bind, Nicky wriggles himself out of it.   
Joe watches it all unfold with a detached expression, whilst Nile is focused, taking mental notes. Joe loves watching Nicky fight, watching his strong body spin and dance and dip. But it is also a hollow feeling because Nicky should not still have to be fighting after all these years.   
“Enough,” Joe barks out, his voice rougher than intended, and Andy immediately releases Nicky. Nicky stands looking slightly annoyed. “I was going to win!”he protests, and smiles when Andy ruffles his hair. Joe just takes his hand in his and pulls him down to the tree.   
“I have just thought something,” Nicky says, but a worried look flickers over his face as he looks at Nile. Everyone looks at him expectantly. Joe strokes his hand encouragingly.   
“I don’t mean to disrespect your family, Nile, who I know you care deeply about and who care about you.”  
Nile nodded at his words, and the other two waited, wondering where Nicky was going with this.   
“But I could not help noticing... We are sitting on the roots of a tree. And old old tree. And a thought crossed my mind, that this is our tree. Our family.”  
A family tree.   
Andy isn’t sure whether to burst out crying or laughing. Since becoming closer to mortality she has found her emotions pushed ever closer to the surface. Nile looks frozen in thought, and Nicky’s head is bent, uncertain.   
“I think that is beautiful, Nicky.” Joe tells him, gathering the rest of them in his gaze.   
Andy nods. “Yes,” Nile says. “Family.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have definitely overused the word "chateau" haha

They return to the chateau just as the day is truly waking up. The downward journey was a more muted affair. Andy was deep in thought about something; Nile too seemed in a reflective mood. They had all watched the sun set and awoken early to watch it rise again.  
Nicky and Joe retire to their room in the chateau. It is the most private and out of the way, with its own tiny bathroom and a charming balcony glancing onto the fields of wild flowers.  
Nicky curls into Joe as soon as they fall into bed. Joe looks at him, and strokes his cheek. “You are beautiful,” he tells him, because even now, after hundreds of years, Nicky's eyes and his smile and the lean lines of his body can steal a breath from Joe.  
Nicky looks at Joe then looks back down, a smile quirking his lips, the smallest flush sweeping his cheeks. “You are more,” he offers, in return.  
“More what?” Joe teases, and Nicky gives him that look, those pale eyes considering and heartfelt and hungry.  
“Just more.”

......  
Andy raises her eyebrows at the sounds coming from the North East of the chateau. She had told them it was the furthest bedroom away from anything, but she hadn’t said it was soundproofed. She snorts and shakes her head fondly.  
Nile catches Andy expression, and pauses. Listening.  
“Is that- Are they-“  
Andy breaks into a smile. Nile looks both horrified and amused.  
“Don't worry, you’ll normally not have to listen to it. “  
Nile takes a sip of her green tea. Lots of anti oxidants. Not that she really needs them anymore.  
“Well, I mean, at least they're still, you know... “  
“Grotesquely and sickeningly in love with one another? “ Andy finishes, and Nile laughs.  
“The longest relationship I ever managed was eighteen months, “ Nile reflects, shaking her head. “Eighteen months.. That must seem like seconds to you guys.”  
Andy thinks about it. “Maybe it did for a while. But not anymore. And I don't think Nicky and Joe ever felt like that.”  
Andy suddenly wishes to gather all of her thoughts in order, and lay them out in front of her.  
“It's all about moments, Nile. Some of the best memories will be created out of the smallest moments. And some of the smallest moments will create the most good.” She is not sure if what she has said has made complete sense, but Nile is nodding at her.  
“You helped me to remember that,” Andy says. “You reminded me of why we do the things that we do. Of all the good we have done. Thank you for that.”  
Nile clears her throat, searches for something poignant to say, to match Andy's thoughtful mood.  
In the end, she plucks out Nicky's favourite concept. “Thank destiny,” she says with a smile, warm from the thanks, and the tea and the sun on her back.  
..  
Nicky and Joe return to the kitchen in the evening. Nile eyes them from where she is curled up on the sofa. She has been reading the history books, trying to learn about the worlds that have made up each of her new family's story.  
Joe and Nicky look lazy and content. Nicky nods in greeting at Nile, and Joe winks at her.  
Before Nile can say anything, Andy cracks open her eyes. She has been dozing on the armchair while Nile read.  
“So we can finally have some peace and quiet then?” She says archly.  
Nicky looks a bit sheepish, but Joe bursts out laughing and snakes an arm around Nicky's hip.  
“Sorry boss,” he twinkles a smile. “Won't happen again.”  
They all gape at him, including Nicky who looks devastatingly perplexed.  
“I mean that will definitely still happen again.” He reassures them hastily. “But-“  
“I think we should move on from this topic of conversation,” Nile rose from the sofa, and waved the book in their faces. “Teach me some history.”  
A myriad of emotions passed through Nicky's face that Nile couldn't quite pick up, and he deferred the answer to Joe.  
“What kind of story are you hoping for?” Joe asked, pulling Nicky down with him to sit on the sofa.  
Nile thought. “Angst with a happy ending? “  
Joe laughed, and looked at Nicky. “Angst with a happy ending?” He repeated. “I can do that. “


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any inconsistencies re the mission, thank you for reading!

Copley has left them a message requesting they get in contact with him for a time sensitive job.   
“Sounds familiar,” Joe remarks, still bitter about the ambush in South Sudan.   
“We have only had two days,” Nicky stretches and yawns, “may we not have longer.”  
“Time sensitive,” Nile re reads the message.   
“Where?” Joe asks Andy, who is in the process of receiving more information.   
Andy scribbles a couple of things down in code. “West Africa. Rescue mission for girls captured by Boko Haram.”  
Nile shakes her head in disgust at the mention of Boko Haram. “How many?”  
Andy snorts and looks up, running her fingers through her hair. “Twelve.”  
Joe splutters. “This is either life imitating plots to ambush us or else Copley thinks we’re really stupid.”  
“A double bluff, perhaps?” Nicky suggests.   
Andy holds the pen in her hand in such a way that they are all acutely aware of the many ways she could kill someone with it.   
“We have insurance on Copley now, remember?”  
They nod. Turns out Copley’s niece and nephews on his dead wife’s side were enough to guarantee complete compliance. They hadn’t really needed to threaten him. Copley had the right kind of heart, it was just his ideas about saving people had been poorly executed.   
Nile in particular had been against the whole using innocent children as leverage but Andy stood firm on the matter. Just in case.   
Nicky sighs and leans on the table. “When do we leave?” 

.....   
They leave at 6pm local time that evening. They are showered and laundered and well fed. It is almost as though they are hopping onto a flight to take them on vacation, not dropping then into a war torn area of West Africa.   
Nile reads through all the notes Copley has sent over via the laptop. She has heard of Boko Haram, of course, but had thought that their power had waned somewhat over the past years.   
Opposite her, Andy eats the baklava Nicky made for her, mere hours before they boarded the plane. There is no need to guess the ingredients of it as she provided them herself, but nonetheless she pinpoints each one in her head as she chews, each flavour exploding into a small moment of bliss.   
Joe, beside her, is watching Nicky. He has already checked his bags and his weapons, and now he is watching Nicky check his. Two days at the chateau was barely enough time. Even though they have had an abundance of time, Joe fears that it will never truly be enough. He glances at Andy, wrapped up in love for the baklava, and feels a sharp pang in his chest. Andy the warrior. Andy the immortal. And now, Andy the mortal.   
Nicky catches his eye, and they share a look. He and Nicky have a language of looks, so much so that Joe is sure they could communicate exclusively in looks along, save for the fact that Joe would miss Nicky’s voice, his soft inflections, the huskiness of his voice when woken from sleep, his voice steeped in his native tongue, beautiful and song like, whispering sweet nothings in his ear.   
Nicky smiles at him then, as though reading his thoughts, and Joe immediately smiles back.  
Nile clears her throat, looks up from her reading. “This is all just... horrific."  
“It is good, “ Joe advises her, “to sometimes not focus too much on the details of evil”  
Nile levels him with a look. “If we don’t know the details then how are we supposed to understand what is actually happening?”  
Joe raises a hand. “I only mean that it can be too much to take on, the knowledge of what is out there.”  
Andy opens her eyes, following their exchange.   
“But the world needs to know what is out there! Maybe if more people knew, it could be stopped. “  
“Nile,” Andy's voice is kind. “People do know what is out there. It's not as a simple as just knowing. Knowledge doesn't necessarily give you power, it just keeps you up at night.”  
Nile looks angry and helpless.   
Nicky spoke. “This is why we do what we do, Nile. Because we have the power to do something. But what Joe means, is that it is best not to dwell on the monstrosities that happen. It is better to know the basics only and use that make something better.”  
Nile shakes her head and closes the laptop.   
The pilot signals to them. “Three minutes.”  
Three minutes.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, and I feel I am being very slow paced with this story?? Hope it is still enjoyable though! Anyway these characters have my heart, be well everyone!

They disembark the helo and make their way to the safe house Copley has set up. The day is still and heavy. Andy drives, because she always drives. Nile sits beside her in the passenger seat, eyes trained on the road, searching for anything amiss. Nicky sits behind Nile, checking his rifle, and Joe checks that he has packed a first aid kit in his bag. Just in case. 

The drive takes a little over 30 minutes, and they meet no other vehicles on the dust paths. They hide the car five kilometres from the safe house and continue on foot, blending into the heavy shadows from the sun. It is very hot. Nile is used to the heat from her deployment as a marine, but Andy seems to be struggling a little. Nile isn’t sure if it is down to her new found mortal status or just that Andy is having an off day. Nicky nearly offers to carry Andy's rucksack, take some of the strain off her body, but she quells him with a hard look.   
Their safe house is basic, but clean, which makes it one of the better ones. Andy scrapes a chair back from the table in the small room, and sits down, fanning out the Intel they have brought with them. They will burn it all before they leave.  
Nicky is on first watch. It is a new system they are trying out. Copley knowing about them has made them all jumpy; if Copley could piece it all together then there are others who might be able to as well. They are not going to take the risk.   
Andy, Nile and Joe go through the plan briefly, then Andy leaves to go and sleep, while Joe teaches Nile some more history and Nile tries to explain to Joe what a meme is.   
“Meme?” Nicky repeats, coming in off watch, sweaty from the sun and all the more beautiful for it. He goes to stand beside Joe, who wraps his arms round his waist.   
Nile snickers at the expression on his face. He is under the impression that a meme is something important to learn about, rather than a hilariously trashy yet deep complex coping mechanism for those growing up in the 21st century.   
Joe turns and beams at Nicky. “I will tell you all about memes, my love.” He winks at Nile. “I am now an expert on the subject.” Nile smiles and shakes her head, leaving the room for her shift on watch.   
“Where is Andy?” Nicky asks, unfurling himself from Joe, and removing the empty plates from the table. Joe gestures to the closed door.   
“Resting.”  
Nicky nods. “The heat... It is too much for her now. Perhaps she should-“  
“Should what?” Andy is suddenly there, leaning against the doorframe, her hands on her hips. She raises an eyebrow at Nicky, who shifts uncomfortably.   
“I just mean... “ Nicky looks at Andy, then at Joe, then at his shoes. “Maybe you should take it slower. Take a break. Some time. To adjust. It has been a lot. It has all been a lot.”  
Andy stiffens. She loves Nicky, she really does, but sometimes he is too damned Nicky about things.   
“I'm still me.” Andy says, trying to keep her tone even. “I can still beat any fucker in a fight.” She doesn’t say, “including you”, but the implication is there in her tone. “Don’t wrap me up in cotton wool, Nicky. Not after all we've been through. Not after all we’ve done. Nile still needs me.” She looks to Joe and Nicky. Joe is wary and Nicky looks stricken. She snorts. “You two still need me.” Andy cuts herself off.   
“Andy,” Joe says, “It is not about us. We will always need you, of course we will. But this is about what you need. Now, more than ever, this is about what you need.” He exhales. Nicky nods in agreement.   
“What I need,” Andy grits out, because damn them, damn them both. “Is for everyone to do their damn jobs so that we can save those girls and kill the bastards that took them. Understood? “  
“Got it, boss,” Joe says.   
“Si,” Nicky murmurs.   
“Good.” Andy says, as she folds and then unfolds her arms.   
“Where are you going?” Joe calls as she opens the front door.   
“Third watch, “ Andy says, even though Nile has only been out there for ten minutes.   
Joe looks at Nicky and Nicky looks at Joe.   
“So,” Joe gestures to the now unoccupied bedroom.   
Nicky inclines his head. “So.”  
“It would be a shame to let a perfectly good bed go to waste, “ Joe points out, and then he pulls Nicky into the bedroom and closes the door.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for permanent death and violence. I don’t go into much detail, but it is there. Also I do apologise for any inaccuracies/inconsistencies  
> So sorry for the delay! Balancing my life of late has been.. Interesting. Anyway, here’s wonder wall

Joe sketches for a while before they leave. He glances around the room at everybody, so Nicky knows he is capturing them all. He catches Joe eye and Joe winks. Joe the artist, Joe the poet. Yusuf, the love of his life.   
Nile walks over and peers down at Joe's sketchpad. She hovers a finger over each drawing: Andy looking mildly pissed off, Nicky smiling a small, private smile. Herself, looking slightly bewildered. Probably everyone had lapsed into a language that no longer held any roots in this world. Normally they were pretty good at speaking in English around her, apart from when they were trying to teach her a new one; Andy especially. Joe and Nicky had their own language, made up of looks and movements and soft words in old tongues. It was all very beautiful and nauseating.   
“You should draw yourself,” Nile says to Joe, because it is strange to see Andy and Nicky on a page but no Joe beside them. Joe laughs.  
“I could never do myself justice,” he smiles, and Nile rolls her eyes.   
“Moving out in five,” Andy tells them, and Nile picks up her bag. Nicky shrugs on his hoodie, and Joe shoves a base ball cap on his head. Andy puts on a bulletproof vest.   
Outside, it is quiet and cool. It is a 10km hike to where the girls are, and Nile can feel the sweat begin to bead on her forehead and upper lip. The move in formation, silent in the shadows. When they reach the perimeter, they neutralise the guards.   
Andy and Nile are going in first to get the girls, in the hopes that the presence of two women will reassure them. Nicky is waiting with his rifle, just in case they bring in reinforcements from elsewhere. Joe is outside the small holding cell, scimatar at the ready. Just in case.   
They can hear Andy’s calm voice; Nile's reassuring words. Then out of the celebration comes gunfire; unexpected, unyielding.   
There are bullets spraying everywhere. Nicky tries to work out where they are coming from but he can’t get a handle on it. Joe is hit, and Nicky’s concentration wavers. More gunfire, from inside. The girls. Andy. Nile.   
Nicky spots the shooter. A small movement, a shadow morphing. He pulls the trigger.   
The shooting stops. But the screaming starts.   
....   
Nile is shaking so hard she thinks she might vomit. Then she does vomit. Joe rushes in, blood coating his top. He comes to a halt beside her.  
“Are you okay? “ he asks, grabbing her arm, bringing her back to the now, the horrible, bloody reality of being an immortal in a fragile, mortal world.   
“Yes,” Nile says, because there are some girls that are still alive, and they need medical help. She grapples for her medical bag, and picks her way around the dead to find the wounded.   
Joe watches her for a second, and digs out his own medical bag. He feels a presence at his shoulder, and turns. Nicky is staring at the scene before him, making a strangled little noise. Before Joe can do anything, say anything, Nicky gives a surprised little shout of “Andy,” and runs towards her. Joe follows him. He has already done a quick sweep of the room. There are only three surviving girls remaining. One injured. He could have saved Nile the trouble of checking painstakingly, but he knew she would not take him at his word, that the hope there would be others still hanging onto life forcing her to check.   
Nicky is bent over Andy, not touching her.   
“Andy!” Joe kneels down beside her. She is not conscious, but she is breathing. No blood on her, as far as Joe can tell. He looks up at Nicky, who is still standing, holding his breath.   
“Nicky,” Joe says, voice low and pleading. “She is still alive.” Nicky flickers a glance at him, and then at Andy, then at the bodies in the room.   
“You were shot,” Nicky says angrily, but Joe knows he is not angry at him.  
“They are all dead,” Nicky continues in a wavering voice. His expression crumples. “I don’t understand, I-“  
Andy jolts awake, much in the way her immortal body used to. Joe supposes it is just a habit now after so many thousands of years or being on earth.   
She gulps down some air, then looks around.   
“Shit.“ she says, then kicks a nearby pallet. “Fuck!”  
“Careful,” Joe warns her. “You might be concussed. Andy doesn’t dignify his concern with a response.   
Everything speeds up. Nile brings the girls over. Three of them. So small and defenceless. Joe wants to rip the world apart and start it anew. One of the girls, the smallest reaches out and takes Joe's hand. The other girl, the one with blood on her arm takes a step back from Joe, from all of them. The other does the same.   
“Nicky,” says Nile, and they all look at Nicky.  
“Your gun,” Andy takes it from Nicky, who lets her. Joe knows that Nicky had forgotten he was holding it, that sometimes it became an extension of him. But the girls didn’t know that.   
Joe speaks to them in their language. He tells them: we are not a threat, we are here to help, we are so sorry for all that has happened to you. They watch him through eyes that no longer trust anything but eventually step toward him again.   
Joe leads the girls away, to sit on a small bench away from the horrors of the holding cell. They follow him, wide eyed but with a horrible kind of resignation. Nile moves to go with them, but something occurs to her.   
“The... The girls. Their bodies.” Nile clears her throat. “We can’t leave them here.”  
Andy looks at her sharply. “There is a van parked up front with a trailer attached. We can move them on that. Take them back ton their families.”  
“I will do it,” Nicky says.   
“No.” Andy protests, but Nicky just shrugs at her.   
“I should have seen that there was another, “ Nicky tells her, his voice thick and garbled. He turns and gathers the girls.   
“We can’t-“ Nile begins angrily but Andy cuts her off.   
“We can’t stop him,” Andy looks sad and tired. “He believes it is his penance.”  
“It wasn’t his fault!” Nile does not mean for it to sound as loud as it does. She can tell it has reached Nicky because he stiffens, then resumes his task at an almost terrifying pace.   
“We have to focus on the ones still alive,” Andy tells her firmly, but her eyes are kind. “Inform Copley. We need somewhere to take them.”  
Nile nods once. Nods twice. Focuses on the ones still alive. Focuses.   
. ...


End file.
